What is he up too with his property?

Question

I married a man a little more than a year ago. He purchased a house with his name only on the mortgage 4 months after marriage. Not only was I surprised that my name was not included on the deed to this house, but upon looking at public records I noticed it reads " a single man". Is it even legal for him to have himself stated as single on a deed when he was married? What could be the outcome of this in the future?

Answer 1

I doubt there will be any fallout at all from the "single man" thing, as long as he pays the mortgage (I doubt the bank will ever notice something like this).  Still, this is very odd, I mean he really should've told you about this.  Exactly what does he want to do with the house and what is his reason for not telling you, and will he do something goofy like this in the future.

Anyhow, annoying as this is, he apparently was able to get the loan by himself and assuming the bank never notices he was married (and honestly even if they do I don't know if they would do anything) there will be no legal consequences from this.  As to whether or not you have any ownership rights to the house this depends on the laws where you live, but you very well may be a part owner of this house (meaning you could get sued if someone falls on the property but could have inheritance rights if he died).

I have little idea why he did this (possibly some odd attempt to have it just in his name as a fallback if the marriage has problems or maybe he's just a stubborn loner), I can't think of a great financial reason (some very minor positive affects but nothing worth mentioning) I just think he is very stubborn and something or a loner and decided he was going to do this regardless of what you thought.  Anyhow, quite frankly, I don't think this bodes well for your marriage but I see no real reason for doing this and don't think there will be any negative legal problems arising from it.

Answer 2

what state do you live in? in some states it does not matter if it has only his name on the deed or not.if it was bought in the time that you were married then you are entitled to half if you were to ever divorce.

Answer 3

A nasty divorce. You need to confront this immature clown and now. He is trying to "protect' himself with just lousy words written on paper that a divorce judge would see through in a second. It seems like you are suspicious also. So get on with the rest of your life. This may not be the best man to spend it with. Signed, A husband whose wifes name is on EVERYTHING.

Answer 4

Sounds like something fishy is obviously going on.  Who lives in the house?  Since the property was purchased after you were married you are entitled to 1/2 of it if you should divorce.

Answer 5

Do you live in a community property state? If not, is it a Dower state? If so, I think you have an interest in the property whether or not you are on title. If bit about the "single man" man on the deed could have been a title company error. They may have assumed that he was an individual borrower so he must be single.

Do you trust your husband to do the right thing? If not, ask him to put you on title. That is cheap. $75 plus recording fees or so. If he won't do that, then maybe he is up to something.

In this market, maybe it is better not to be on the title. If he defaults and you are on title, you could be named in the foreclosure suit even if you are not on the title as you have a benefical interest in the property.

Conceivably, if you are not on title and it says he is a "single man", he could sell the property without your knowledge and consent. Ditto for borrowing.

Talk to him first. If he is evasive, you may need to talk to an attorney (real estate or divorce; your choice).

Good luck.